Releasable connection device



Oct. 6, 19534 E. D. GRlzzARD ET AL 2,654,135

I RELEASABLE CONNCTION DEVICE Filed June 25, 1951 2 sheets-sheet 2 '22 60 l 7/ 23 6,0 2g f 36 45a', 33a? 62 62 62, 37 52 :33a 32 9 1.4423 e 27 g @-597 32 SF/9 25d, gd

Z4' Z Z6 i Z6 a f5 ,7 f5 26 26 Fen/YK 2. COLLAR 8u v ../HGK C.v MTGHELL attorneg Patented Oct. 6, 1953 l RELEASABLE. CoNNEefmoN DEVICE Earle M 'er s,

nd Jack C M fol-.nia

la eng Frallltla Collar, L u.

Anglia-nien lisetiel a iq claims. (ci. gg-,gon

wennen. relates@ a tiene?. fer use @e eine targa @gefeit Q1* for vi riad ardstrlrig bei retienen/@hantise te;

and an engagement a'sserrgibltr adapted tobhe quickly connected to and disconnectedfrom the shouldered member.n t

itis a further object ofv theinvention to provide an'engagementasseinbly having a body with engagement@ jaw members glei/abbr mduntad thereon and simple means for Apositively holding `these javg7 members in engagement `lwith the shouldered member.

A further object of the invention is to provide in this engagement assembly an actuating part which is movable on the bod;l of 'the assembly from retracted to'y extended positions, the actuatingpart having' me'ansforshifting the engagement members into releasing positions when the actuating part is in its retracted position, and

for moving the engagement members into engaging position when the actuating part is moved to extended position.

It is an Vobject of the invention to provide an engagement assemblyl including a tubularbody hav-ing an end opening, jawy members disposed' preceding Vpanagraph wherein the tubular body also has sideopeni'ngs through which means act when the sleeve is in retracted position to hold the .leven in .Sten-peeing inet-tn@ ietf ment-@fs @insegnate .ready t9 remite the head Dertien ef the einem. ee

" simens the F11. teer .tien will transiti en .the fainting part ef .Ago

tifevilitweianetaiiy epposei .Sie geen enfiler as sefriaiy fitte oanctrf Vigf` is y'a c'bss-fsectio''taken as indicated at the une 4&1 qf giz'f "5 is a sectinal'view taken as indicated by then-ne slsr'o'fnig. a; N--Figl 6 is an enlarged perspective `view ofone of @mnagement@meer' Figi? aperspectiv'eview of the friction spring l?i'g."'8 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 2 showing jan alternative form of thel invention with connctorparts engaged;l v Fg.-9 is a sectionalviw similar to Fig. V8 showing` the connector parts disengaged; and

Fig. 1.0 isla cross-section taken as indicated at the line III-I0 of Fig. 8. n fFhe detachable connector shown in Fig. 1 comprises a shouldered member `l ahd"an"asse'mbly II arranged for disconnection as shovn in Fig. l

.the head f4 which is foif'ned on the upper portion ofthe Vshuuldered member I0.

The .shouldered n'iein'bery lll comprises a plate portion :'15, -face and edge .views of' which are respectively .shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this `plate por-.tion haringfa bolthole lli` for. use inattachine it in thestnlcture of the vaircraft in which .the device is tor be used in -cargoholddown purposes. Thehead .I4 ofthe shoideredmembr I0 is circular or cylindrical and blowthe annulaishoulder-'13 thereof,l has ariannularshoulder 11 spaced lby an annular eha'mhele BMfro'ni the la; e ...u ve' y .i I The engagement assembly .H inlud 1er 'body havi'elg iewelelffdm' connecting means 22 extends, this connecting means being shown as an externally threaded projection for use in connection of the engagement assembly II to the part which is to be detachably connected to the shouldered member iii. Between the tubular body I9 and the externally threaded portion 22 there is an annular shoulder 23.

In the form of the invention disclosed, there are two engagement members I2. Each of these engagement members includes, an engagement portion 24 and a lever portion-25 extending therefrom. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6,each engagement portion 24 is of similar cylindrical form and has a cavity 25 extending thereinto from its diametral face 2l, the cavityZI` being Yof such size that it will receive one-half of the annular shoulder or flange I3 of the shouldered member I8. The engagement portion 24 has a shoulder 2S adapted to lie below the shoulder I3 and Vextend into the annular channel i8 of the head I4. Each lever portion 25 is of substantially semi-cylindrical cross-section, with a diametral face 29 arranged in a plane which is perpendicular to the lplane of the face Y21 of the engagement portion 24. The lever portion'25 has a pin opening 3D extended therethroughand as indicated at 3l and 32 the lever portion 25 is relieved. At the end of the lever portion 25, opposite from the engagement portion 24 there is a projection 33. The engagement members I2 are identical in iorm, and a pair of them are assembled in the engagement assembly I1 with the faces 28 of the lever portion k25 in engagement. These lever portions 25, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, are extended into the interior of the tubular body through the end opening 25 thereof and are swung on a pin 34 which projects through opposite sides of the wall of the tubular body I9 and through the openings 3i) of the lever portions 25. When the engagement members I2 are installed in the tubular body IS the projections 33 extend outwardly intoand through the side openings 2| of the tubular'body I9. When the levers are positioned as shown in. Fig. l the points f of the projections 33 lie in the openings 2|, but do not project outwardly beyond the outer face of the tubular body I9. When the lever portions 25 are positioned as shown in Fig. 2, the projections 33 are swung outwardly so that the ends or points thereof project from the outer face of the tubular body I9. i

When the lever portions 25 are mounted in the tubular body' I S on the pin 34, the engagement portion 24 at the outer ends of the lever portion 25 lie adjacent the end of the tubular body I9, and at this time the diametral faces 21 of the engagement portions 24 are' in opposition so that when the engagement members I2 are swung from the position at which they are shown in Fig. l to the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 2, the faces 2'I of the engagement portions 24 will be brought together or into the so called engagement position, the two semi-cylindrical portions 24 then forming a substantial cylindrical body at the end of the tubular body I9.

Actuating and/or locking means of the engagement members I2 of the assembly II consists of a sleeve 35 which fits slidably upon the tubular body I9. Near its inner end 36 the sleeve V35 has an internal channel 31 into which the outer ends of the projection 33 of the lever portion 25 extend when the sleeve 35 is in its locking or extended position shown in Fig. 2. When the sleeve 35 is in retracted position as shown in Fig,

l, the lower end 33 thereof is adjacent the lower end of the tubular body I9. As the sleeve 35 is moved downwardly from its position of Fig. 1 toward its position of Fig. 2, the lower end 38 thereof engages the semi-cylindrical faces of the engagement portions 24 and forces them radially inwardly toward each other, or in closed position around the shoulder I3 of the shouldered member I0, and when the sleeve 35 reaches its fully extended position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the lower end 38 of the sleeve 35 will surround a sufficient portion or" the semi-cylindrical engagement portions 24 to prevent them from swinging outwardly, or in other words, to prevent them from becoming disengaged from the member Iii.

At the lower extremity of the internal channel 31, the sleeve 33 has an annular shoulder 39 which acts as a cam when the sleeve is moved inwardly from the position in which it is shown in `Fig. 2 toward the position in which it is shown in Fig. l, this shoulder or cam 39 engaging the ends of the projeetitons 33 and forcing them inwardly just as the lower end 3S of the cam 35 clears the upper extremities of the semi-cylindrical engagement portions 24, forcing the projections inwardly to the position at which they are shown in Fig. 1 and thereby swinging the engagement members i2 so that the engagement portion 24 thereof will be swung outwardly into the open or disengaged positions in which they are shown in Fig. l.

The sleeve 35, as shown in Fig. 3, has diametrally opposed angle-slots 4I which receive the outer ends 42 of the diametrally disposed pin 34. These angle-slots 4I are similar in character t-o bayonet slots and each includes a longitudinal portion i3 and a circumferential portion 44. When the sleeve 35 is retracted as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the ends of the slot portions 43 receive the ends 42 of the pin 34. When the sleeve 35 is moved outwardly from the position of Fig. 3, referred to as its retracted position, the circumferential slot portions will be brought into alignment with the ends 42 of the pin 34, whereupon the sleeve 35 may be rotated so as to bring the circumferential slot portions 44 into surrounding relation to the pin ends 42, thus locking the sleeve 35 against axial movement from extended to retracted position,

Means of frictional engagement are provided between the tubular body I9 and the sleeve 35, so that the sleeve .35 will not rotate or move freely on the tubular body I5. This means of frictional engagement between the parts consist of a spring member 45 confined in a slot 46 in the external face of the tubular body 1S near its lower end. As shown in Fig. 7, the spring inember V45 comprises a length of steel wire bent so as to have polygonal or non-circular form, and likewise the ends 4l of the spring 45 are offset from each other in a direction parallel to the axis of the tubular body I9. The spring 45 has outwardly projecting corner portions 48 and intervening flat portions 49. When the spring 45 is installed, the centers of the flat portions 49 press against the bottom of the groove 46, and the projections or corners 48 press against the inner face of the sleeve 35. Also, the ends 4l of the spring 45 bear against opposite side walls of the groove 46.

In the alternative form of the invention shown in Figs. 8l0, we avoid the necessity of cutting the groove 46 in the tubular body I9. We avoid the use of the spring 49 and of the projections 33 of the levers 25. A spring member 45a is emtions so as to move said shoulder portions of said engagement members apart.

5. In a connector for engaging a shouldered member of the character described, the combination of a tubular body having an end opening and side openings, engagement members having shouldered portions movable toward each other into engagement with said shouldered member and movable away from each other to disengage said shouldered member, said engagement members having lever portions extending into said tubular body through said end opening, pin means pivotally supporting said lever portions in said tubular body, a sleeve supported on said tubular body so as to be movable into a position projecting from the end of said tubular body so that a portion of said sleeve will surround said shouldered portions and hold them in engagement with said shouldered member, said sleeve having an internal position so as to move over said side openings when said sleeve is moved into retracted positionon said tubular body, and a spring member in said tubular body having parts arranged to project through said openings and to provide operative connections between said internal shoulder of said sleeve and said lever portions, to swing said lever portions so as to move said shouldered portion of said engagement members apart when said sleeve is moved into retracted position on said tubular body.

6. In a connector for engaging a shouldered member of the character decribed, the combination of: a tubular body having an end opening and side openings, engagement members having shouldered portions movable toward each other into engagement with said shouldered member and movable away from each other to disengage said shouldered member, said engagement members having lever portions extending into said tubular body through said end opening, pin means pivotally supporting said lever portions in said tubular body, a sleeve supported on said tubular body so as to be movable into a position projecting from the end of said tubular body Vso that a portion of said sleeve will surround said shouldered portions and hold them in engagement with said shouldered member, said sleeve having an internal position so as to move over said side openings when said sleeve is moved into retracted position on said tubular body, and a spring member having diverging legs with loops on the ends of said legs, said loops projecting through said side openings so that the outer portions thereof will be engaged and said loops will be forced inwardly by said internal shoulder when said sleeve is moved into retracted position on said tubular body, said spring member having parts which engage said lever members and swing said engagement members apart when said loops are forced inwardly.

'1. In a connector adapted to engage a shouldered member of the character described: a body having end and side openings; engagement members having shouldered portions movable toward each other indo engagement with said shouldered member and movable away from each other to disengage said shouldered member, said engagement members having lever portionsextending in said end opening of said body, pin means carried by said body so as to pivotally support said lever portions in said body, said lever portions having parts which project through said side openings when shouldered f portions are moved toward each other; a sleeve supported on said body so as to be movable into a position wherein the end portion of said sleeve will surround said shouldered portions and hold them in engagement with said shouldered member; cam means on said sleeve engaging said projecting parts of said lever portions when said sleeve is moved into retracted position on said body, to force said projecting parts inwardly and swing said lever portions so as to move said shouldered portions of said engagement members apart; and means for holding said sleeve in said position surrounding said shouldered portions of said engagement members.

In a connector adapted to engage a shouldered member of the character described: a body having end and side openings; engagement members having shouldered portions movable toward each other into engagement with said shouldered member and movable away from each other to disengage said shouldered member, said engagement members having lever portions extending in said end opening of said body, pin means carried by said body so as to pivotally support said lever portions in said body, a sleeve supported on said body so as to be movable into a position wherein the end portion of said sleeve will surround said shouldered portions and hold them in engagement with said shouldered member; means acting between said sleeve and said lever portions through said side openings when said sleeve is moved into retracted position to swing said lever portions so as to separate said shouldered portions of said engagement members; and means for holding said sleeve in said position surrounding said shouldered portions of said engagement members.

9. In a connector adapted to engage a shouldered member of the character described: a body having end and side openings; engagement members having shouldered portions movable toward each other into engagement with said shouldered member and movable away from each other to disengage said shouldered member, said engagement members having lever portions extending in said end opening of said body, pin means carried by said body so as to pivotally support said lever portions in said body, a sleeve supported on said body so as to be movable into a position wherein the end portion of said sleeve will surround said shouldered portions and hold them in engagement with said shouldered member; and means acting between said sleeve and said lever portions through said side openings when said sleeve is moved into retracted position to swing said lever portions so as to separate said shouldered portions of said engagement members.

l0. In a connector adapted to engage a shouldered member of the character described: a body having end and side openings; engagement members having shouldered portions movable toward each other into engagement with said shouldered member and movable away from each other to disengage said shouldered member, said engagement members having lever portions extending in said end opening of said body, pin means carried by said body so as to pivotally support said lever portions in said body, said lever portions having parts which project through said side openings when shouldered portions are moved toward each other; a sleeve supported on said body so as to be movable into a position wherein the end portion of said sleeve will surround said shouldered portions and hold them in engagement with said shouldered mem- References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Kramer Aug. 21, 1900 Craig et a1. Mar. 2, 1926 McArthur Sept. 7, 1948 

